


The Rosewood Witch

by PointedMetal8



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Don't yell at me, Eventual Smut, Magic, Multi, My First AO3 Post, Slow Burn, not enough derek/OFC, witchey poo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-12 21:56:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7123942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PointedMetal8/pseuds/PointedMetal8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Catherine is tasked by her parents to move from Australia to another country to be the executor of an estate to a family member she never even herd of, she never knew it would end like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Start

**Author's Note:**

> Does not follow cannon, set somewhere between Season 2 and Season 3.
> 
> Erica Lives!!!!!!

Catherine Rosewood had only just turned 21 and was in the middle of her Bachelor of Arts, majoring in music, when her parents had nominated her as a representative of the family to be the executor to a very distant family members’ estate in the Beacon Hills California. Catherine had no idea who this family member was, or how they were related. But being the dutiful daughter she followed her parent’s wishes and headed to America to sort out the will and all the other fun things associated with death.

Catherine stood at a mere 5 foot 5, her long blonde hair had been dyed a varying amount of blues with splashes of purple as one of her rebellions against her parents need for uniformity. Her big blue eyes took in the Californian landscape as she exited the plane and made her way to collect her things. Noting already the change in the air, her “spidey sense” was tingling, a storm was approaching. 

From a young age, Catherine had always been aware of her surroundings. It was one of the many gifts she had received from her Rosewood Heritage. All females of the bloodline had some sort of ability or gift. Catherine was lucky enough to have several, more about that later.

Catherine was excited to finally make it to the car park, where her dad had organised a car for her to use for the duration of her stay. She wasn’t sure what he picked but she hoped that it was a Right hand drive like the cars back home in Oz, otherwise it was going to be one difficult drive to Beacon Hills. Thankfully she was mightily surprised when she found that her dad had somehow found an RX-7 SP series 6 twin turbo, with 5 speed manual. It was one of her dream cars ever since she got hooked on car games with her friend Ned. 

Connecting her phone to the sound system by the Aux, because this car was old school, she entered the address for Beacon Hills and made her way to her new temporary digs that her mum chose for her. After a long road trip Catherine finally pulled in to the apartment complex garage. Pulling up beside an FJ cruiser and a sweet looking black Camaro. 

She slid out of the RX-7 and stretched letting all her joints pop and crack before grabbing her duffle and guitar and locking the car. 

Once inside the lobby she pressed the button for the lift and had been waiting for a few minutes when a guy with a scarf appeared “uh… the lift doesn’t work”. Catherine turned to the teen with a scarf and scoffed “thanks for the heads up kid” as she turned hoisting her duffle higher on her shoulder and opening the door to the stairwell. She heard the scarfed teen cry out in reply “Hey, I’m not a kid”.


	2. Rick with a Silent P

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty boys, fast cars and the PO-PO

Recap: She heard the scarfed teen cry out in reply ‘Hey, I’m not a kid’.

Catherine just continued climbing the stairs, once she reached halfway she turned around ‘hey kid… do you know where the closest supermarket or shop thing is?’ The scarfed teen stood silently blinking for a moment before responding ‘um, yeah’ pinching the bridge of her nose Catherine asked with a sigh ‘think you can give me directions?’ The scarfed teen climbed the stairs as he responded ‘sure’ the scarfed teen then proceeds to provide a jumble of directions. In the middle of his spiel, Catherine interrupted him ‘wait, wait I’ve already forgotten, just draw me a map’. The scarfed teen seemed to be calculating something ‘actually I probably need to pick up some stuff up too…’ Catherine blanched at the scarfed teen ‘Hey kid, stranger danger much???’ The teen looked at Catherine with an appraising eye ‘What are you afraid I’ll kidnap you?’ Catherine scoffed ‘No, but I could be some John Jarratt type murder from the outback who likes to prey on the innocent like in Wolf creek.’ The scarfed teen gulped and there was a moment of silence ‘… but you’re not, right?’ Catherine rolled her eyes ‘meet me in the car garage in 15 minutes.’

Catherine entered her apartment and took notice of the open plan living space, she was happy that she only had the neighbours above and not many surrounding the old Industrial complex. It meant that there were not too many nosy neighbours to spy on her comings and goings, or to complain about the level of noise coming from her apartment.

Catherine quickly stashed her bag into the bedroom alcove and moved her guitar into the main living space of the apartment. Taking a quick note of essential items she would need she and left the apartment making sure to lock the door behind her. 

Catherine met the scarfed teen at the car garage with a few moments to spare. ‘So kid, what is your name?’ ‘Isaac, Isaac Lahey’ the scarfed teen attempted to sound like James Bond. ‘Catherine Rosewood, nice ta meet ya kid.’ Isaac rolled his eyes ‘I’m 17, so definitely not a kid’ 

They came to a stop at the car, Isaac ran an appreciative glance over it. ‘Whoa is this yours?’ “Oh yeah, guilty parents come in handy.’ Isaac went to get in on the right hand side ‘hey you are not driving’ Isaac looked at Catherine ‘what?’ Opening the door Catherine pointed out ‘it’s a right hand drive manual.’ Isaac just looked at Catherine questioningly ‘its how we drive in Australia my dad thought it would make the transition easier.’ They both get into the car and drive off to the closest shops.

After Isaac giving some terrible directions and having to take the scenic route (they got lost) they made it to the local supermarket. Catherine noticed the people around the car park were beginning to stare at the car as she slid out of the driver’s seat. Catherine purposely clicked the button on the remote making an audible beep to notify the car was locked and the alarm was enabled. No one was stealing her baby!

Isaac was very helpful and grabbed a trolley for Catherine ‘thanks Isaac’ grabbing a basket and placing it on the front edges inside the trolley ‘here this way you don’t have to carry anything’ Isaac flashed a smile in return. Catherine noticed that Isaac mainly picked up the bachelor pad food staples or as she liked to think of it the poor university students diet. It was all things that could be heated in the microwave or boiling water was the missing ingredient. After picking up the essential items like toilet paper and soap and detergents, Catherine decided that she was going to make a nice home cooked meal. Catherine was slightly disturbed at the American equivalent to minced beef, making note that she would have to order a meat grinder to make her own mince beef once she got home. 

The ride home was a little more hectic for Isaac. Catherine was a bit more confident with the roads in the area after their “scenic tour”. They had stopped at a set of lights when a shiny Porsche pulled up next to them. Using the electric window, Catherine rolled down the window and winked at the Porsche driver. ‘Nice wheels pretty boy, sure you can handle something so powerful and fast?’ The boy scoffed ‘what are you even driving, a rice burner? Think you’re some Vin Diesel wannabe?’ Catherine tilted her head in a moment of contemplation, using her spidey sense to feel out the road ahead. She was able to sense the radio waves of a speed camera up ahead. With a smirk she looked to the pretty boy ‘on the green?’ The boy scoffed ‘what’s in it for me?’ Catherine grinned evilly, ‘entertainment’ the boy smirked in return ‘on the green’.

‘Uh that’s Jackson Whitmore’ Isaac squeaked, Catherine turned to Isaac ‘is he a real rick with a silent P?’ Isaac looked confused for a moment before responding ‘the biggest’. Catherine knocked the gear shift into neutral, hand hovering over the shift and right foot keeping the revs steady. ‘Relax Isaac I have something up my sleeve’. 

The light went green and the Rx-7 was off, the Porsche trailing two car lengths behind until Catherine lifted off and coasted back down to the speed limit as a police siren sounded and a police cruiser made pursuit of the now speeding Porsche. Isaac’s mouth flubbed open like a fish ‘did you… did you just…’ Catherine chuckled as they slowed down and drove past Jackson standing by his Porsche being issued a ticket by an officer. ‘Oooh pretty boy got stung’ Catherine smirked and winked at Jackson. With an unnecessary rev of the engine they were off down the road.

‘You ok kid?’ Catherine turned to Isaac, ‘I can’t believe you just got Jackson Whitmore caught by the cops… I mean how did you know they were there?’ Isaac turned to Catherine who tapped her nose as they pulled into the garage.


	3. ‘I’m sure you say that to all the women dressed in towels at your door’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catherine meets Peter and Cora

Chapter 3

Recap: ‘I can’t believe you just got Jackson Whitmore caught by the cops… I mean how did you know they were there?’ Isaac turned to Catherine who tapped her nose as they pulled into the garage. 

 

After grabbing some bags out of the car Catherine turned to the black Camaro in the next space over ‘Who owns that sexy beast?’ Isaac turned to look at the Camaro, ‘oh that’s my guardian Derek’s car’. Catherine let out an appreciative hum ‘what I wouldn’t give to get under that bonnet’ Isaac broke her longing stare with the car ‘do you want some alone time with the Camaro?’ Catherine turned to Isaac with hope in her eyes ‘seriously?’ Isaac chuckled ‘wow so your into cars, what else?’ Catherine tapped her nose and entered the building. 

‘What does that even mean?’ Catherine ignored Isaac as she continued up the stairs. Isaac ended up helping Catherine ferry up all the groceries to her apartment. As Isaac was leaving she called out to him ‘hey kid, thanks for helping me out’ she offered her hand for him to shake. Isaac warily accepted the hand and felt the slight pressure of paper being pressed into his hand. Isaac stared down at his hand taking in the crisp $20 bill now in his hand. Catherine had turned her back and was putting things away as Isaac stood there trying to figure out what just happened. 

Catherine turned around to find Isaac still gaping in the doorway. ‘Hey kid, you alright?’ Isaac looked up ‘you don’t need’ Catherine cut him off ‘a token of my appreciation, go buy yourself a new scarf or something… Now get, I have unpacking to do’.

Closing the door she lent against the wall taking a deep breath to centre herself and to let her senses scope out the area. When she felt nothing out of the ordinary she cast a small protection and warning ward at the entry way. Only something small that most supernatural beings will barely register something is there. Once the wards were up Catherine helped herself to an easy dinner of a jam sandwich and then went to bed.

****************

At 7 am the alarm went off, Catherine turned and slapped at her phone before literally rolling off the air mattress. Once her feet hit the floor Catherine was up and alert, taking a quick stretch to pull out the kinks in her back. Catherine audibly sighed after cracking her ankles, wrists and neck. Grabbing a new fluffy towel she made her way to the shower looking forward to standing under the hot water. After waiting 5 minutes for the hot water to come through, she realised that the landlord hadn’t connected the gas to the apartment yet.

So in desperation she wrapped the towel around herself and threw all her shower stuff into a calico bag, making sure to put on her fluffy dressing gown over the top. Catherine made her way upstairs and knocked on the door, hoping that Isaac was in and was ok with letting her borrow the shower.

A man with piercing blue eye opened the door ‘uh hi..’ the man glanced at her appreciatively ‘well hello there’ at that moment Isaac came down the stairs in the loft ‘Catherine?’ The blue eye’s raised an eyebrow ‘hey Isaac, I have a huge favour to ask’ Catherine continued to stare at the man in the doorway ‘Uh Peter this is Catherine, the new neighbour’ Peter held his hand out and Catherine took it politely, not expecting him to kiss the back of her hand ‘a pleasure to meet you Catherine’ to which Catherine smirked ‘I’m sure you say that to all the women dressed in towels at your door’ Isaac coughed diverting Catherine’s attention ‘ooh yeah so I was wondering if you would possibly kind of help a neighbour out… The landlord hasn’t connected the gas yet and I have no hot water’. Peter chuckled ‘and why should we let you, a near perfect stranger in to the loft and use our hot water?’ Catherine turned to Peter ‘because I can make you a home cooked meal as payment’ for a brief moment a sparkle of surprise flitted through Peters hard blue eyes. Catherine’s spidey sense tingled in an unusual way as she felt the weight of Peter’s gaze on her ‘I will even make dessert’ a female entered the room ‘what kind of dessert?’ Peter rolled his eyes and moved aside for Catherine to make her way into the loft ‘something chocolaty and creamy?’ Catherine offered.

The female ushered Catherine in ‘here you can use my shower’ ‘Thanks I’m Catherine from the apartment below’ the female grunted ‘Cora’. ‘Well thanks Cora, I’ll make sure to give you extra tonight’ Catherine spoke as she turned the shower letting Cora leave the room and shut the door.

15 minutes later a clean fresh and rejuvenated Catherine appeared outside of the bathroom and walked to the main living area where everyone else was congregating. ‘Oh hey, before I go, nobody has any allergies?’ Isaac shook his head ‘righto, I will be here at 5:30 to make dinner’ Catherine smiled and winked at Peter as she left the loft not noticing the older man sniff the air as she left. 

 

As soon as the door was closed Peter turned to Isaac ‘who is she and more specifically, what is she?’ Isaac looked at Peter and shrugged ‘she’s our new neighbour and she is from Australia’ Isaac took a deep breath and sighed ‘look she doesn’t set off any of my wolf senses and she seems genuinely nice, I mean she gave me a 20 just for helping her out yesterday’ Isaac could feel Peter’s eyes boar into him ‘she has a really nice car and and I don’t know what more you could want from me!’

Cora nudged her uncle, ‘he forgot to mention that she thinks Derek’s car is hot and I quote “would do anything to get under that bonnet”. Peter smirked ‘don’t let Derek here that, he is very protective of his Camaro’ Cora rolled her eyes ‘I think it would be good to let someone under the bonnet..’ Isaac snickered at Cora’s comment. ‘She seems harmless enough, but I won’t pass full judgement until after dinner’. Peter stared at his niece ‘how very diplomatic of you.’


	4. Wolfe Ramme and Hearthe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You just need to sign some paperwork, complete a blood oath and recite the Rosewood incantation...

Recap: ‘She seems harmless enough, but I won’t pass full judgement until after dinner’. Peter stared at his niece ‘how very diplomatic of you.’

Catherine was shown directly to the head lawyer’s office at Wolfe Ramme and Hearthe by the receptionist when she arrived. She could feel the slight vibration of the protection wards that were in use around the building, meaning the law firm was affiliated with the supernatural. A man in his late forties named Lineal greeted Catherine ‘ah Miss Rosewood, shall we get to it?’ he offered a chair to Catherine. 

Lineal opened a desk draw and pulled out a very thick file ‘as you may be aware, your Great Aunt Elizabeth Rosewood passed away recently and has named you as the executor of her will. Today I will read you her will and then we will go from there.’ Catherine nodded her ascent. Catherine almost fell asleep listening to Lineal read the will and let’s be honest she didn’t really pay attention until Lineal broke her out of her daze. ‘Uh can you just give me the dot point version?’ Lineal smiled gently ‘Of course Miss Rosewood, your great aunt was stationed here as part of the Rosewood Coven Pact, your great aunt was a leader in the supernatural community and acted as a mediator and judge in certain cases. She has left all her possessions and properties on the condition that you live in Beacon Hills and become the next successor, a Scion if you will.’ Catherine’s shock was apparent on her face ‘and what does becoming a scion entail?’ Lineal clasped his hands together on the desk ‘you just need to sign some paperwork, complete a blood oath and recite the Rosewood incantation to receive your markings, you may have a fluctuation in your gifts but that is considered to be normal.'

Catherine took a deep breath as she let all the information settles ‘and what if I don’t want to become the last scion?’ Lineal looked at Catherine ‘I’m not going to lie, with your aunts deteriorating health over the last 6 years she let a lot of stuff happen that should have been prevented. If you don’t step in now things will only get worse for not only the supernatural beings in the area but also the normal’s.’

Catherine stared at Lineal trying to gauge him ‘damned if I do, damned if I don’t’ Lineal flashed a tight smile. Catherine turned to look outside the window for a moment and used her spidey sense feeling two significant paths appear at the cross roads, she really wanted to take the road home but she knew she was needed. Turning back to Lineal she spoke unsure of herself ‘but I don’t know how to be the scion‘. Lineal grinned ‘I knew you would make the right choice, don’t worry, your aunt left a few things for you to read and my partners or I will be here for any consultations you may need. Now shall we proceed with the paperwork and bloodletting?’

Catherine’s eyes snapped to Lineal as he pulled an athame from nowhere ‘uh sure’. Lionel made a short incantation and then poked the athame into Catherine’s thumb and squeezing a few drops of blood onto an old looking scroll with the Rosewood Coven Crest on it. Lionel handed Catherine a piece of paper ‘Now recite the incantation’. Agairt leis seo an ceart an Caisleán Uí an Coven Rosewood . Mar an Caisleán Uí beidh mé a chosaint agus a chaomhnú ar an dlí de dhéantús an duine agus osnádúrtha araon . Beidh mé a choinneáil cothromaíocht agus chaos cúirte Is féidir liom a breitheamh go cothrom agus go ciallmhar . Is féidir liom a bheith dutiful agus dúthrachtach . Go dtí mo anáil ag fáil bháis caite . A glimmer of energy was released and then Catherine felt a sharp burning sensation on her shoulder. Pulling the neck of her shirt down to see what was burning she found her coven mark. It was the customary Rose nestled within a pentagram that had several swirls entwined and shooting out like a vine patter from the pentagram. Lionel took note of the Coven mark and gasped Catherine turned to look at Lionel ‘what’s wrong?’ Lionel looked up to Catherine ‘ nnnothing Miss Rosewood, I was just not expecting that specific mark to appear’ Catherine looked at him puzzled ‘What does it mean Lionel’ Catherine watched Lionel visibly gulp ‘I am not quite sure but you may need to confer with the rest of your coven, now I must hurry I do have a few other clients t see today’ Lionel hurriedly gave all the documents to Catherine and gave her the keys to several properties for her perusal. Catherine found it strange that Lionel rushed her out of the office as quickly as he did. Getting into her Rx-7 she decided to go to the super market and grab the last bits and pieces she needed. She hoped that Peter wouldn’t mind sharing a bottle of wine, after the day she has had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t speak Gaelic – Google translated it so I’m sorry if it’s wrong.
> 
> Rosewood Incantation in English:  
> I hereby invoke the right of the scion of the Rosewood Coven.  
> As the scion I will protect and uphold the law of both man and supernatural. I will keep balance and court chaos.
> 
> May I judge fairly and wisely.  
> May I be dutiful and diligent.  
> Until my last dying breath.
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. Did you see what i did there with the law firm :)


	5. Chocolate Ripple Cake

Recap: Getting into her Rx-7 she decided to go to the super market and grab the last bits and pieces she needed. She hoped that Peter wouldn’t mind sharing a bottle of wine, after the day she has had.

 

Catherine knocked on the loft door and waited for someone to let her in, several bags hung off her arms and they were quite heavily stuffed with ingredients. Peter opened the loft door ‘Ah so good to see you Catherine, we are all looking forward to your cooking’ Catherine smirked at Peter ‘then please do help me carry the groceries and lead me to yonder kitchen’ Cora’s raucous laughter could be heard from upstairs. Peter huffed but took a few bags and showed Catherine to the kitchen.

Cora and Isaac came down the stairs and went into the kitchen to give Catherine the run down on where everything was but found that Catherine had an uncanny ability to just know where everything she needed was. Both Cora and Peter watched Catherine practically dance around the kitchen effortlessly as she prepared vegetables humming to a song in her head. Catherine looked up at her audience ‘if you have nothing better to do I can give you something to do’ Peter pointed out that he had a book in his hands and Cora rolled her eyes. Catherine poured herself and Peter a glass of wine and placed it in front of him. She then grinned at Cora ‘well if you won’t be my special helper, perhaps a game of 10 questions?’ Cora pipped up ‘ok, I’m game’ As Catherine placed the vegetables in to a large saucepan with a mix of herbs spices and wine to simmer she wiped her hands on a tea towel and began whipping some cream in a metal bowl as Cora asked her 10 questions.

1\. Where are you from? Melbourne, Australia  
2\. Why did you move here? Short story some dead aunt made me the sole recipient of their stuff after they died.  
3\. How old are you? 21  
4\. Why is your hair blue? I was rebelling against the parents the only way I could it’s pretty acceptable in Melbourne.  
5\. Music or sports? Music all the way.  
6\. Dream guy? ‘Preferably male, tall dark and brooding with hair I can run my hands through.’ Cora, Peter and Isaac all shared a look.  
7\. Wolves or Vampires? Both, I mean I prefer the majestic beauty of a wolf but if one is around then the other surely exists which means there needs to be a balance somewhere.  
8\. Hobbies? ‘The usual reading, writing cooking ooh and playing on my guitar every now and then’ Catherine stops for a moment ‘wow I am really boring’  
9\. Favourite colour? Depending on mood blue, green or purple.  
10\. Are you currently single? ‘Eternally it seems’ Catherine answered with a pout.

Catherine had finished whipping the cream and had stirred the sauce on the stove several times adding in some more wine and herbs. After getting a nice plate out of one of the cupboards she opened a packet of chocolate ripple biscuits and started forming the chocolate ripple cake while asking Cora her 10 questions.

1\. How old are you? 17.  
2\. Favourite colour? Brown.  
3\. Perfect partner? Peter interrupted ‘no one til she is at least 30’ Cora blushed slightly at the remark, Catherine mouthed”later”.  
4\. Xbox or Playstation? ‘Umm, I haven’t ‘Catherine let out a gasp ‘oh young pedowan I must teach you the ways of gamage!’  
5\. Supernatural beings – real or myth? ‘Myth’ Catherine’s spidey sense was sending alarm bells; her inbuilt lie detector was going haywire.  
6\. Favourite food? Any food that I don’t have to cook.  
7\. Favourite ice cream flavour? Honeycomb.  
8\. Ultimate travel destination? Anywhere not here.  
9\. Harry potter books or films? Books definitely.  
10\. Siblings? ‘Just Derek’ Cora spoke sadly and Catherine flashed her a smile.

Catherine had finished the cake by the time she had asked her 10 questions. Once she had put it into the fridge to set she checked the sauce on the stove for the umpteenth time and added mince meat to the saucepan then put a pot of water to boil on the stove. The kitchen smelt delicious at this point. Catherine had cheated by buying a pre-made garlic bread and salad mix but she figured that they wouldn’t mind.

‘So where is this infamous Derek?’ Catherine looked up from the saucepan ‘he has a job that keeps him out of the loft a lot’ Isaac answered while eyeing Peter. ‘Should I make sure there are some leftovers for him?’ Peter scoffed ‘If he isn’t here then he should miss out, it’s his own fault if he’s not here’ Catherine ignored her spidey sense again, knowing that they would tell her their secret in due course even if she had inklings as to what it was, it was still their choice to out themselves to her. Once all the food was taken to the table Catherine watched in delight as Peter, Cora and Isaac enjoyed the meal and went back for seconds and thirds.   
When Catherine brought out the chocolate ripple cake the three looked at the cake distrustfully, not sure of what it was. Catherine served them all a small piece and then helped herself to a some as well. It was amusing for her to watch them try the dessert. Isaac was the first to moan in appreciation with Peter and Cora both following not long after. Leaving Catherine smirking as she watched them devour the dessert.

Peter picked up a tea towel and began to dry dishes as Catherine washed them. ‘well my dear, that was a spectacular meal I do hope that you will come cook for us again’ Catherine opened the cupboard and put some plates away ‘ Oh Peter, such flattery will get you everywhere’ and then giggled slightly. Catherine threw her hand over her face in embarrassment while Peter raised an eyebrow at her.

Catherine had stashed some food in the microwave for Derek, knowing that he would probably enjoy the leftovers. She even put a sticky note on the loft door so the others wouldn’t see it advising him of the food. With her job now done, Catherine excused herself to her apartment below for a good night’s rest.

 

*****

Once Catherine had left the apartment Isaac turned to Cora ‘So what do you think?’ Cora seemed to contemplate for a moment ‘I don’t mind her’ Peter appeared with another slice of cake on a plate ‘well she can definitely cook for us *cough * me anytime’ Cora rolled her eyes ‘so subtle uncle’ Peter just smirked evilly in response. Isaac then spoke ‘did you hear what she said about wolves and their majestic beauty? And she described Derek to a tee as her dream guy, I mean he certainly has the hair and tall dark and brooding thing going on.'


	6. Nefarious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I assume you are friends with the Hales, at least I hope you are because that would be mighty awkward if you’re not and you are up to something nefarious and I could have been the only person to stop you from being nefarious, so I guess I should really be asking… who you are?"

Recap: Isaac then spoke ‘did you hear what she said about wolves and their majestic beauty? And she described Derek to a tee as her dream guy; I mean he certainly has the hair and tall dark and brooding thing going on’.

 

Catherine had been busy running around town over the last few days and hadn’t interacted with her neighbours as she wound up loose ends and all the paperwork involved in transferring properties and accounts under her name. Not to mention having to call her parents and explain to them that she was permanently moving to Beacon Hills to fulfill her roles as the Scion. Her mother was quite worried as the position did entail a lot of responsibility and made her more vulnerable to attacks. In the end she was able to get her mother to agree to let her stay and to fulfill her late Great Aunts wishes. 

It was at the end of a particularly stressful and draining day that Catherine found herself unwinding in the kitchen. A trait Catherine knew was stereotypical but with her bad habits she would never be a good house wife, after all she did court chaos; particularly all over her bedroom floor but she enjoyed making others happy through her cooking and it helped as a stress relief which she sorely needed at the moment. There was lots of paperwork and reading involved in getting up to date with the Rosewood Covenant.

She had managed to cook two large trays of homemade lasagne and a few apple pies. Checking the time she decided that it was still plenty of time to drop the warm dishes off to her neighbours. 

Skilfully balancing the apple pie on the tray of lasagne Catherine navigated her way up the stairs and was about to knock on the loft door when it was slid open revealing a dark haired and slightly scruff man in a leather jacket. The two stared at each other for a few moments until the lasagne tray began to burn Catherine’s hand and she cried out as the tray dropped from her fingers with a look of utter horror on her face. The leather clad man caught the tray before disaster could happen and Catherine clutched her heart ‘OMG, thank you for catching that, I would have been devastated to see all my hard work go to waste.’ 

The man looked at her with a stony face ‘Uh anyways that’s for Isaac, Peter, Cora and Derek so if you could let them know I dropped it by and if they could just leave the empty trays outside my door that would be great thanks.’ 

Catherine turned to leave when the leather clad man spoke ‘who are you?’ Catherine turned back ‘oh of course where are my manners I’m Catherine, I live in the apartment below, I assume you are friends with the Hales at least I hope you are because that would be mighty awkward if you’re not and you are up to something nefarious and I could have been the only person to stop you from being nefarious, so I guess I should really be asking… who you are?’

The leather clad man answered slowly ‘I’m Derek Hale’ Catherine’s eyebrows set in a slight frown ‘Your Derek Hale. Hmmn, not exactly what I was expecting, well any way’s there is a lasagne and an apple pie for dessert that are still warm so they are perfect for eating’ Catherine turned back around and was almost out of the hall when she called back out to Derek ‘Oh hey can you tell Isaac I need a tour guide and that there will be baked goods involved thanks.’

 

********

 

Derek slid the door shut with his foot and entered the kitchen to find Scott, Stiles, Cora and Isaac unsuccessfully trying to hide their laughter and amusement. Derek gave them the traditional Derek stare as he placed the trays on the bench and went to leave the kitchen. Peter stood in the door ‘was that Catherine I heard dropping off food?’ Scott, Cora, Isaac and Stiles burst into giggles ‘Oh yeah and she called Derek nefarious’ said Cora trying to compose herself as her brother growled at the laughing teens. ‘Come Derek, I do believe Catherine said the food was perfect for eating and if its anything like her pasta from the other day then this will be a treat’ Derek blanched at his uncle who was surprisingly full of mirth. 

Scott and Stiles joined the Hales and Isaac for dinner, never ones to say no to a free meal. It was surprisingly quiet at the dinner table as everyone tucked into their meal, Derek couldn’t quite describe the weird feeling he felt creeping into his body and he wasn’t entirely sure if he liked it either. 

When they had started on dessert the alpha in him had decided that Catherine was allowed to cook for him and his pack anytime. As Isaac, Stiles and Scott finished their slice of apple pie there was a brief stare down at the table and then the boys raced to the kitchen only to find Derek standing in the kitchen with the pie tray in his hand and the last forkful of pie halfway to his mouth. ‘Oh man’ Stiles cried. ‘That was like the best apple pie and you ate it all on us… how could you!’ Cora complained. ‘How could you… you monster!’ Isaac chimed in.

Peter spoke from the table ‘I am sure Isaac will be able to get more food from Catherine, she did say that she needed a tour guide, did she not?’ Stiles turned to the alpha ‘So does Catherine pass the test Derek?’ Scott elbowed Stiles ‘oww hey’ Stiles exclaimed clutching his side ‘It takes more than a good home cooked meal to be given the alphas approval Stiles’ said Cora. ‘Liking Derek’s car probably gets her extra brownie points though’ Isaac said as he began doing the dishes. Derek raised his eyebrow at the beta. ‘When she first arrived she was drooling over your car, like a fat man drools over doughnuts.’


	7. That which cannot be unseen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Sheriff I have something to tell you that will completely turn your world upside down and open your eyes to something that cannot be unseen.’

Recap: ‘Liking Derek’s car probably gets her extra brownie points though’ Isaac said as he began doing the dishes. Derek raised his eyebrow at the beta. ‘When she first arrived she was drooling over your car, like a fat man drools over doughnuts.’

 

Isaac knocked on Catherine’s door at 9:30 am the next day. Catherine was dressed in black slacks, a dark blue blouse and yellow cardigan with a red bow in her hair. ‘Isaac, just the teen I wanted to see’ Isaac handed the emptied and cleaned trays from last night’s food ‘Derek said to say thanks for the food and that the pie was really good’ Catherine arched an eyebrow at Isaac ‘let me guess, you want to know if there happens to be any leftovers in my kitchen?’ Isaac looked hopefully at Catherine ‘do you? I mean, yeah if you just happen to have some left’ Catherine chuckled at Isaac's attempt to be cool about it.

‘C’mon Isaac, we are burning daylight and I have lots of places to be and pie is for later when everything is done’ Isaac looked sullenly at the kitchen. ‘Oh hush Isaac, It will keep until we get home.’

 

****

 

Once they had gotten into the Rx-7 Catherine turned to Isaac ‘so how do I get to the Sheriff’s department?'

Isaac had improved on his directions since the last time Catherine had tour guide Isaac in her car and was thankful that they arrived at the station only 15 minutes later. Isaac showed Catherine into the station and asked the receptionist to send for the sheriff.

Stiles followed his dad to reception on his way out but stopped when he saw Isaac with an unknown woman. ‘Hey Isaac, who is your friend?’ He then turned to the woman ‘Stiles Stilinski’ and offered his hand to shake. ‘Catherine Rosewood, a pleasure to meet you Stiles Stilinski’ she spoke as she shook his hand firmly, subtly hiding her slight gasp as her spidey sense registered the untapped spark in the boy before her. ’Wait your Catherine… as in the neighbour who makes amazing food Catherine?’ She tilted her head to the side ‘I believe that is I, yes’ Stiles dropped her hand ‘dad this is Catherine, she is Isaac’s neighbour and her apple pie is to die for!’ he spoke quickly.

The sheriff ran a hand threw his hair ‘Hi I am Sheriff John Stilinski and as you probably have guessed that odd ball is my son’. Catherine chuckled ‘Ah sheriff you are just the man I wanted to see’ Catherine turned to Isaac and Stiles ‘Isaac I believe it is almost morning tea and I do not see any delicious or healthy snacks, will you and Stiles be so kind as to go to the bakery across the street and bring back an assortment of goodies’ Stiles’ eyes widened as Catherine handed a $100 note to Isaac ‘Please and thank you boys, these men and women ought to know they are appreciated.’ Isaac took hold of Stiles elbow and the two walked out of the station.

Sheriff Stilinski directed Catherine to his office, once the Sheriff was situated at his desk he delved into the conversation ‘So what can I do for you Catherine?’ Catherine walked over to the chairs in front of the desk and sat down. ‘Sheriff I have something to tell you that will completely turn your world upside down and open your eyes to something that cannot be unseen.’ The Sheriff leaned back in his chair ‘Will it help me with my job?’ ‘Potentially’ the Sheriff tapped his lip ‘will it cause harm to my family or myself?’ ‘Potentially’

The Sheriff leaned forward ‘Ok Catherine, you have my curiosity peaked, what is it you wish to tell me?’ Catherine opened her bag and pulled out a man’s bracelet, neck chain, shirt pin and cuff links. ‘I am Catherine Rosewood the Scion of the Rosewood Coven in Beacon Hills. I have been charged by my predecessor to continue with the protection of this town and the supernatural beings within it and the surrounds. My predecessor appears to have been quite lax in their duties so it falls on me to inform you. Sheriff everything you thought was a myth is in fact a reality. It is around you every day, where you work, where you buy your food, where you get your fuel. The supernatural are real and have unfortunately been running rampant in Beacon Hills for far too long.’

Catherine paused to let the information sink in ‘I understand that it can be confusing, would you like a moment?’  
The Sheriff looked at Catherine ‘why should I believe you?’ Catherine raised her hand over the sheriff’s desk and all the items rose off the desk and followed her hand movements. ‘I am a witch Sheriff, from a very, very long line of witches and Beacon Hills was named as a town worthy of our protection. It is my duty to protect this town to the best of my ability and that means I will need your assistance. Together we can make sure Beacon Hills stays a safe place for the supernatural and for those not in the know’ Catherine’s voice rang out with power.

The Sheriff let out a long breath ‘what would “us” working together entail?’ Catherine smiled ‘simple communication Sheriff, we keep each other informed of potential issues – tip offs or Intel. We can consult with each other on certain matters’ John looked to be thinking over the information ‘well I do appreciate that you have come to me straight away’ Catherine nodded her head. ‘Our partnership is not without other benefits Sheriff, please take these items I only ask that you wear at least one at all times.’ Catherine handed over the cuff links, shirt pin, neck chain and man bracelet ‘each item has been spelled with protection runes, they will also help you to “see” a little bit better’

The Sheriff took the items and stood to see Catherine out of the office ‘Thank you Miss Rosewood’ Catherine turned to the Sheriff ‘I do have one question’ John waved his hand to spur Catherine on ‘Will you and Stiles join myself and the Hales for dinner this Wednesday Night. I seem to be making way to much food for little old me so really you would be doing my fridge a favour’ John was slightly shocked at the invitation ‘I’m sure stiles and I can attend dinner’ Catherine clapped her hand slightly ‘awesome, see you on Wednesday night Sheriff, Stiles knows where I live’.

Catherine reached the front door of the station as Stiles and Isaac appeared with several boxes of sweet and savory pastries. Catherine waited for Isaac by the car as he and Stiles went and put the boxes in the police staff room.

Isaac returned a few minutes later with Stiles trailing behind him, both with large goofy smiles. Isaac came up to Catherine ‘uh, here is your change’ Catherine looked down to his hand and shrugged ‘split it between your selves’ Isaac and Stiles glanced at each other in awe. ‘Thank you for your time Stiles, please remind your father that I do expect to see both of you at dinner on Wednesday night be there at 6:30 pm sharp’ Stiles gulped ‘sure’.

 

*******

 

Isaac and Catherine departed the station parking lot and continued on their drive to several different locations around Beacon Hills. Isaac followed Catherine and took pictures of things when she asked him to. It was on their last stop that Catherine became quite emotional. Catherine had asked Isaac to direct her to the Hale mansion. She could feel the sadness from the drive way and silent tears trailed down her face as she walked closer to the house. ‘My Gosh, what happened here?’ she spoke to herself as she placed her hand on the door.

Catherine gasped as she was pulled into a vision of the Hale fire, of the people that died trying to get out. As she walked further into the crumbling structure she could feel the presence of the once powerful Alpha Thalia. Letting her spidey sense open up by visualising a door being opened in her mind she waited for the spirit to make the connection. She was not left waiting as Thalia appeared to her. Catherine bowed her head in respect ‘Alpha Thalia, I am Catherine Rosewood and I come to you as the Scion to the Rosewood Covenant in Beacon Hills. I am so sorry for what has befallen your family’ Thalia hushed Catherine ‘Catherine, Scion of the Rosewood Coven, I accept your apology. However we have several other matters to attend to and very little time to do so.’ Catherine nodded her head in understanding ‘Now Catherine you must complete your ancestors work, the protection spell on Beacon Hills has been left uncharged for over 6 years I do not need to tell you the possible consequences of this. I only hope you can fix it as soon as possible there is something lurking in the darkness and I fear that it cannot be conquered.’ ‘I will do my best Alpha Thalia and I thank you for your council’ Thalia smiled at Catherine ‘Your predecessor left much to be desired but I believe you are more than capable of the task.’

Catherine gasped and bolted into an upright position from the broken couch she had been placed on, Isaac was hovering over her with a damp cloth. ‘What happened?’ Isaac handed her a bottle of water ‘you were exploring the house and feinted’ Catherine drank some of the water ‘thanks; I must have done a bit too much today.’ Isaac helped Catherine back to the car and they made their way back to the apartment.

‘You know Isaac; I have a small part time job available. It’s nothing exciting, just helping me around town and assisting me if you will. The pay isn’t much but it does come with perks, would you be interested?’ Isaac looked at Catherine ‘I would need to clear it with Derek first’ Catherine nodded ‘of course, let him know he is welcome to come and talk with me about it at any time, after all I don’t want to feed you to the wolves’ Isaac’s eyes bugged out as Catherine closed her apartment door.


	8. Perfect timing Mr Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She had a choice to make that could and it was hard to decide. Should she tell Derek about being a witch now and rip the band-aid off or does she keep playing along as if she knows nothing?

Recap: ‘I would need to clear it with Derek first’ Catherine nodded ‘of course, let him know he is welcome to come and talk with me about it at any time, after all I don’t want to feed you to the wolves’ Isaac’s eyes bugged out as Catherine closed her apartment door.

 

Catherine tried to get some sleep she really did but when she found herself wide awake and itching to use her hands at 12 in the morning she had to follow her instincts. So she started off with doing some baking, making some chocolate chip cookies and some blueberry white choc muffins. While they were finishing in the oven Catherine pulled out her acoustic guitar and then sat outside on her balcony and began to let her fingers glide over the strings, not paying attention to what she was doing but letting it flow through her. She found it was easier to let it out then to try and contain the itch. She was unaware of the alpha wolf in the apartment above who was also still very much awake and could hear her playing on the guitar and the soft hum of her voice.

A few minutes later there was a knock at her door ‘Perfect timing Mr Wolf’ Catherine joked as she opened the door slightly startled to see Derek there. ‘Uh, come on in’ Catherine waved Derek into her apartment and he followed her into the kitchen as she put on her oven mitt. ‘You’re just in time for the last tray cookies to come out of the oven and I don’t know about you but the best time to eat a choc chip cookie is before it’s too cool’ Derek nodded in understanding.

Catherine plated a few of the still warm cookies and poured two glasses of milk and led Derek over to couch and coffee table. Derek took a cookie and nibbled on it slowly an audible moan left his lips as he tasted the melted chocolaty goodness. 

+++

Catherine smiled slightly but froze when her spidey sense began to tingle. She had a choice to make that could and it was hard to decide. Should she tell Derek about being a witch now and rip the band-aid off or does she keep playing along as if she knows nothing, knowing her luck it would bite her in the end. 

Taking a deep breath Catherine turned to Derek ‘I wish I could wait for you to tell me Derek but I must be honest with you’ Derek slowed his chewing and arched his eye brow. ‘I know that you are the Alpha Derek Hale and as I recall, wolf customs dictate that I must inform you that I am the Scion of the Rosewood Coven and my purpose here is to protect Beacon Hills’ 

Derek stood up abruptly ‘hey now let’s be fair, I have not lied to you at all’ Catherine spoke in her defence. Derek rolled his eyes at Catherine. ‘Look I really wished I could have waited to have gained your trust first but I need your help keeping Beacon Hills safe, there is a darkness coming and I will need all hands on deck to stop it. Your family has had a long history of working with the Rosewood Coven to protect this area. I don’t expect you to trust me obviously, but I do expect that we can try to work together to do the right thing. If you are willing to try, you and your pack are invited to dinner on Wednesday night, if you do not attend I will know your answer.’

Derek stalked out of the apartment in several angry strides, the anger radiating from him. 

Catherine knew it was a hard choice but she had to tell him then, it would have only been worse if she had kept it to herself. 

 

After tidying up all the food and dishes Catherine took out the paperwork her Great Aunt left behind and plugged in her headphones and knuckled down on the reading into the wee hours of the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it is a short chapter I, but really hated writing this one... why does Catherine have to be such a goodie two shoes!


	9. Pieces of the puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek glared at his uncle ‘Catherine knows about us, about what we are’ the group stilled ‘what do you mean’ Scott asked.

Recap: After tidying up all the food and dishes Catherine took out the paperwork her Great aunt left behind and plugged in her headphones and knuckled down on the reading into the wee hours of the morning.

 

Catherine woke up with a start as she jumped from her position at the table, sometime during the night she must have dozed off and now had a crick in her neck. Her dream was still vivid in her mind as pieces of information she had been trying to understand finally clicked into place.   
Getting the map of Beacon Hills that was left in her Aunts things she rolled it out on the table and placed a dot for every property her aunt had owned on the map. It was quite a hefty portfolio of businesses, houses and parks and recreational areas. Most had been left to squalor from about a year before the Hale fire when her aunt seemed to have changed drastically overnight. This in itself was another puzzle she had still to solve but figured that it could wait for the time being.

After marking all the properties she tried to connect the dots and was left reeling at the perfect angles each dot lined up perfectly as if it had been planned. The lines all connected; taking a step back Catherine could finally see the pentagram. A property at each one of the points and one at each point the lines crossed. 10 points that on their own would mean nothing but together they created one hell of a protection spell.   
Catherine had a theory that her Aunt was trying to create a self sustaining protection spell, with the change of energies in the world and more belief in the unknown, science had helped expand the world and made things never possible a reality. Like being able to harness certain energies in the right settings. For example Quartz crystal could resonate and store certain energies and if you so happened to have a lot of music and people expelling heightened emotions you could harness that energy freely without causing harm, it was using something that people gave freely.

Looking through the pictures she had Isaac take of the locations she was able to piece together a plan to continue with her aunt’s work. Each location would need to represent their element; Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Spirit.

Earth – foundations, strength, core, Pilates Catherine added to the description. Taking a look back at her notes she had a light bulb moment; a gym would be perfect.

Fire – ferocious, devouring, hot, passion, courage. An over 21’s Gothic themed theatre restaurant, burlesque and bar… “The Stake” her imagination went wild the waitresses could say as you leave ‘you’ve been burned… at the stake’ It was such a bad pun and she really did try to come up with something less daring but she couldn’t help it.

Water – relaxation, clean, bubble baths, fresh water, ocean breeze, tranquility, pools and hot springs… ‘OMG, yes a day spa’  
Air – clarity, wind, fresh, colours of the wind??? Catherine thought hard about what type of location would represent air; her spidey sense was pulling her in the direction of a book shop café. 

Spirit – without even thinking she knew that a club would be perfect. Drinking and dancing was a form of connecting with one’s self is on the dance floor - heightened senses and emotions all the volatile energy just hanging in the air. It would be perfect.

She had a general plan on what to turn 5 of the 10 properties into, now it was time to start setting things in motion. Catherine realised she was really going to need an accountant and maybe even a personal assistant at this rate. All thoughts of Derek Hale and their chat had officially left her mind.

 

***********

 

Downstairs the Alpha was still reeling from Catherine’s revelations and had called a pack meeting. Derek watched as the pack all took up their spots around the room. Isaac was the last one to enter, carrying a big bag of cookies. Stiles, Cora and Scott perked up at Isaac ‘what are those?’ Isaac stopped mid lick of his chocolate covered fingers ‘uh they were just outside the door; there was a note from Catherine saying to share them’ Isaac looked bashful and offered the betas and Stiles a cookie.

Derek growled and snatched the bag before they could take any ‘enough’ the pack looked startled by Derek’s outburst. ‘Now nephew that was a little uncalled for’ Derek glared at his uncle ‘Catherine knows about us, about what we are’ the group stilled ‘what do you mean’ Scott asked tentatively ‘I mean she knows we are wolves and she revealed her true identity to me last night, she is a witch’ Cora rolled her eyes ‘yeah and?’ Derek glared at Cora ‘what? Couldn’t you smell the scent of magic on her?’ Stiles coughed ‘so… she’s a witch… what’s so bad about that?’ Derek growled at Stiles ‘they can’t be trusted’. Isaac stood up from the couch ‘you can’t know that’.

Peter entered the conversation ‘Scott is right Derek, not all witches are bad. Besides the Hales have known Catherine’s family for generations and if I recall correctly, you and Catherine used to play together when she visited every year before the fire.’ Derek snapped his gaze to his uncle ‘what are you talking about?’ Peter crosses his arms over his chest ‘well nephew, every year since she was born, Catherine and her parents would visit family in Beacon Hills. That is until a year before the fire, her aunt went a little bit weird and Catherine hasn’t visited Beacon Hills since’. 

There was a moment of silence before Stiles spoke ‘so you knew her before, she can’t be too bad now right?’ Scott and Isaac nodded in agreement. ‘There has to be something else she told you?’ Cora asked. ‘She told me she was the Scion to the Rosewood Coven and that we needed to work together’ Peter moved forward in slight shock at Derek’s words but was thankful no one paid him much mind. ‘We need to decide as a pack if we accept this alliance and work together’ Cora, Isaac, Scott and Stiles all readily agreed and so Jackson, Erica and Boyd. ‘Well Alpha, the decision is unanimous, we accept the alliance’ Derek’s shoulders dropped ‘then I expect you all to attend dinner with Catherine on Wednesday, as a token of acceptance to the alliance’ Jackson groaned earning a slap from Cora 'don't judge until you have tried her cooking.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elemental Pentagram definition can be found here:  
> http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=basics&id=2875


	10. Beware the Drop Bear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That night as Derek lay in his bed listening to Catherine strumming on her guitar he thought back to what Peter said about them knowing each other. He drifted off into sleep trying to remember Catherine from his childhood.
> 
> ********QUE DREAM SEQUENCE********

Recap: Derek’s shoulders dropped ‘then I expect you all to attend dinner with Catherine on Wednesday, as a token of acceptance to the alliance’ Jackson groaned earning a slap from Cora 'don't judge until you have tried her cooking.'

 

That night as Derek lay in his bed listening to Catherine strumming on her guitar he thought back to what Peter said about them knowing each other. He drifted off into sleep trying to remember Catherine from his childhood.

 

++++

 

Derek found himself dreaming of the Hale mansion, it was a warm summer’s day and his family was having a Pack lunch with friends and guests. He was about 14 and he remembered how he and Laura were put in charge of the kids. There was a blonde girl a year or two younger than him who just watched as he and Laura tried to keep the kids in check. The pale blonde girl offered her help but he was too stubborn to accept it. 

As were sitting at the table assembling their own sandwiches, the blonde girl brought out a small jar of Vegemite. ‘What is that?’ Laura asked watching the blonde girl make her own sandwich. The blonde girl turned to Laura ‘It’s Vegemite, do you want some?’ the girl offered the jar and watched as Laura took a scoop of it and put in on her bread. ‘Trust me you only want like a thumb nail, that’s way too much’ the blonde girl stated. ‘Nah, this is ok’ the blonde girl shrugged ‘ok but I’m going to say I told you so’. Derek watched Laura eat the bread and grimace ‘ewww that’s Gross’ Laura spat her bite of bread out. The blonde girl laughed ‘told you’ she turned to Derek expectantly ‘oh no, I’m not going to fall for it’ the blonde girl nodded her head in understanding.

Latter on that night the pack had a bonfire where they told old ghost stories to the kids. All of the kids were complaining about hearing the same stories and legends all the time and were beginning to become really unruly.

The blonde stood up and addressed the children ‘do you know about the drop bears?’ a hush fell over the children and they sat back down around the fire ready to hear about drop bears. 

‘Drop bears are very dangerous and volatile creatures; they can sense you from miles away. They come out only at night but have been known to randomly attack people during the day. They will attack anyone who enters their territory. They live in tall trees so you have to be careful when you go into forests especially if you’re alone at night time. And you won’t even hear them coming until they drop from the tree above you and have their teeth ripping at your flesh.’ The kids were so enthralled by the detailed information of drop bears that the younger ones actually believed that the drop bears were real. ‘How, how do we stop them from attacking?’ a young wolf asked ‘You need to put some Vegemite behind each ear, they can smell it and it deters them from trying to bite you into little bits’ Another wolf asked ‘what do they look like?’ the blonde girl got up from her seat ‘some say they have orange patchy fur, others say they have grey and black patchy fur, no one really knows as no one has survived a drop bear attack, they only ever find the bodies after it had its fill’

Suddenly there was a rustling in the trees above ‘what was that?’ Cora asked. The branches above rustled and creaked again, drawing all the children’s attention upwards. All of a sudden a figure dropped down in front of them with a growl and all the children screamed and ran off to find their parents. 

The blonde girl stood there laughing ‘that was so awesome, did you see their faces’ Derek looked up at the blonde and smiled. ‘You’re Cat right?’ the blonde smirked at him ‘you finally remembered huh?’ Derek blushed ‘it’s cool; I’ve only come here for three weeks every year since I was born’. Derek turned to Cat ‘hey I remember you ok, it’s just you look different from last time I saw you’. Cat looked down at herself ‘good or bad different?’ Derek stood back and took notice of her then lifted her chin slightly ‘good different, definitely good different’ Cat blushed. Derek smirked in return and moved a step closer to her, hearing her heart jump he leaned towards her. Cat moved closer as well. Thalia's voice could be heard in the distance calling for Derek, which made the two immediately jump away from each other. Feeling slightly awkward at their almost kiss, Derek took her hand and entwined their fingers before pulling her towards the house.

 

++++

 

As Derek awoke from his dream he could recall the memories of that particular summer, he remembered all the time he had spent with Cat, how his wolf had been drawn to her, how he shared his first kiss with her.

But he was finding it hard to see that same person in the Catherine who was currently in the apartment below him. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he could feel the slight pulling sensation. Maybe he should give the alliance a chance, see where it goes.

With a resolve in mind he got up from his bed and continued with his regular morning routines thinking about the dinner that was to be held in two days time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop Bear sources - other than the hand me down folklore
> 
> http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/drop-bear
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_bear


	11. Look who’s coming to dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles awoke from his shock ‘you told him? How am I going to keep him safe now?’

Recap: With a resolve in mind he got up from his bed and continued with his regular morning routines thinking about the dinner that was to be held in two days time.

Catherine spent the last two days trying to set her plans in motion but found that as she was new in town and didn’t know much about the people she wasn’t really getting anywhere which was frustrating in itself. So it was decided that after her dinner she would be looking for an accountant, a personal assistant and an architect/contractor. Hopefully she could find someone who could deal with her kind of crazy.  
After putting her plan ‘operation pentagram’ on hold she had turned her full attention on the upcoming dinner. Counting down the timer she only had a few hours before her guest would arrive and she could guess that they would be “hungry like the wolves”.

Catherine had decided to go with traditional food stuffs, a slab of lamb and a slab of beef sat roasting slowly in the oven with potatoes wrapped in foil. While the meat was cooking she hurriedly tidied up the apartment and then set the table so it was all ready for when they arrived.   
As the main meal was cooking she had decided to make a selection of desserts; Pavlova, Apple pear malteaser crumble and chocolate rum balls but without the rum because of minors.

Her cooking frenzy had been happening almost all day which was slowly driving the wolves in the apartment above crazy as they could smell all the delicious and enticing smells.

About an hour before the dinner was to start Catherine called out ‘you know you are welcome to come over when you’re ready, there is 5sies’ not waiting another moment the pack who had already assembled at the loft rushed down the stairs.

A few moments later there was a knock on the door and the sound of someone running into one another as they came to a stop at the door. Derek growled at the pack, making them stand straight and tidying up their presentation. When Derek was happy with them he knocked on the door. 

Catherine opened the door and bowed her head in greeting ‘Alpha Hale would you and your pack like to come in?’ Derek nodded his head in respect ‘Scion of the Rosewood Coven, I present to you my pack’ As Derek formally introduce each member as they went through the door and shook Catherine’s hand. Isaac stepped through the door first ‘I brought your trays back’ Catherine smiled and he returned it. Next was Boyd who remained silent and waited for Erica who was next ‘Nice place’ she said as she peered around the apartment. Jackson then slinked in ‘no hard feelings Whitmore?’ Catherine asked as he entered. Jackson looked at Catherine sizing her up ‘I mean for a rice burner, she goes pretty fast’ It dawned on Jackson that this was the driver who got him caught by the cops. ‘You...’ Derek raised an eyebrow and Jackson walked further into the room. Next was Scott who offered an impish smile then Cora who offered her a platter of fruit. ‘You didn’t tell us not to bring anything and I’m not really good at cooking’ she said shyly. ‘Thank you Cora, it was very thoughtful of you’ Catherine accepted the platter and looked up at Derek who was about to close the door when Peter appeared. ‘Don’t forget little old me’ Catherine smiled at Peter ‘I hope you don’t mind but I brought a little something for the adults’ he said as he brandished a bottle of wine. Catherine perked up ‘no not at all, after all I myself do enjoy a good drop’. Derek then closed and the three made their way to the couches. 

‘Please help your selves to the 5sies’ Catherine waved her arm over the coffee table before moving into the kitchen area. ‘What are 5sies?’ Erica asked Catherine turned on the spot making a gasping noise ‘you don’t know what 5sies are???’ Dramatically she sat down on the edge of the couch ‘5sies my dear, is reference to the 5 food items you should always have as a starter or appetizer at any good party; Chips, dip, kabana, cheese and olives. It’s basically the English version of an antipasto platter.’ Isaac, Scott and Boyd had already helped themselves ‘well whatever it is, it’s good’ Isaac spoke around a mouthful before Erica slapped him ‘that’s gross’.

Peter followed Catherine into the kitchen area ‘let me open the wine’ Catherine reached into a cupboard ‘please and thank you Peter’ Catherine placed 3 wine glasses on the bench. ‘Derek, would you like a glass?’ Derek looked up from his pack and shrugged his shoulders, Peter narrowed his eyes at his nephew and took a glass of wine to him ‘Derek I would be a little more appreciative of our nice host, she has put in a lot of work to make this dinner and need I remind you, we do not need her as an enemy’ Derek flashed his red eyes at Peter in response.

Catherine appeared walking to the door as a knock sounded ‘Just in time’ she spoke as she opened the door and ushered in Stiles and his dad. ‘Good evening sheriff’ the sheriff nodded in response ‘you are making me dinner Miss Rosewood, I think you can call me John’ Catherine smiled ‘Of course John, but you must call me Catherine, let me introduce you to my other guests’ John stood up slightly straighter as Catherine led john and Stiles to the living area. Derek stood from his seat as Catherine introduce John ‘John, I would like to introduce you to Alpha Derek Hale of the Hale pack, he and his pack will be assisting with keeping the balance in Beacon Hills’ the pack and Stiles were stunned at this announcement. Derek watched John warily as he processed the information. ‘Derek Hale, as in the Derek Hale who Scott accused of killing people and my own son got locked in a cell?’ Catherine placed a hand on Johns arm ‘the very same, however I do believe there is a good story for another time to explain that whole mess, one that is not mine to tell’ Catherine was very clear that it would not be a discussion topic for the moment as Stiles awoke from his shock ‘you told him? How am I going to keep him safe now?’ Catherine’s eyes snapped to Stiles and made him sit on the nearest chair with her telekinesis ‘Sheriff Stilinski is an integral part of the town, my predecessor should have been the one to inform him of the supernatural, if they had not neglected their responsibilities I feel a great many sorrows could have been avoided’. Catherine’s eyes flicked to Derek ‘That being said, I would never leave a friend or ally open to attack, no there are certain runes and spells one can enchant on simple everyday items that can protect and increase safety as well as guard from harm.’

A timer went off ‘oh dinner will be ready in 10 minutes, if you would like to make your way to the dining table’ Isaac, Cora and Erica offered to help which Catherine accepted. Erica was in charge of getting everyone a drink or refill, Isaac and Cora ferried items to the table as Catherine finished the gravy. Once everything was set on the table and everyone was situated ‘before we start, I would like to make a toast, thank you for coming tonight and for considering an alliance, if we work together, we can help keep this town safe for all of its residents’ everyone clinked their glasses together and then the meal began. Everyone helped themselves to all the food and the Hale pack waited for Derek to take the first bite as was customary in wolf packs. Derek and Catherine stared at each other as they both raised their fork to their mouths. Derek’s eyes flashed red and Catherine’s flashed silver in response as they took their first bite in perfect sync. Erica, Cora and Peter were the only ones who seemed to have noticed the tension between Derek and Catherine.

As an attempt to lighten the atmosphere John asked Catherine about how she was settling in ‘I am doing well John, but it seems I have hit a snag in some of my plans I have been running all around town and can’t find someone who can help me. As you know my aunt passed away and left me a number of properties which I am looking to refurbish or re-develop and to set up successful businesses but finding an architect that can share my vision is quite hard not to mention I am in the market for a personal assistant and an accountant at the very least someone who is good with money.’ Cora pipped up ‘Derek is good at drawing, he went to school to become an architect’ Catherine’s eyes lit up in wonder ‘You will have to show me some of your designs sometime’. The top of Derek’s ears and gone a slight red as he nudged Cora under the table.  
Peter then offered his services for temporary accounting as he knew a bit about money to keep the ball rolling. ‘Well thank you Peter, it is most appreciated’. Several points of light conversation arose and the dinner seemed to go pretty smoothly, all the food was gobbled up by the hungry wolves. 

When dessert was ready Erica had questioned why Catherine had placed a slice of each item into a container and then into a lunch box. Catherine turned to Erica ‘huh, I didn’t know I did that’ Johns phone went off and he apologised but it appeared he was needed at the station so Catherine approached him as he opened the door ‘thank you for coming tonight, here are some treats and be safe’ Catherine kissed John on the cheek and then ushered him out of the door. By the time Catherine got back to the table the dessert was half gone [well at least they are enjoying themselves] she thought as she took her seat once again.

After all the food had been eaten and the dishes had been cleared, Catherine had set up a movie for the pack to watch. Derek came into the kitchen and took a tea towel and began to dry the dishes as Catherine washed them. ‘Look Cat, I am sorry for how I acted’ Catherine turned to Derek ‘its ok Derek, I understand the method behind the madness’ Derek seemed to deflate slightly. ‘Another thing, do you have any more of those cookies left?’ With a hint of mischief in her eyes she lifted a finger to her lips as she pointed to a draw ‘No Derek, I am so sorry but there aren’t any choc chip cookies left’ a chorused groan came from the couches. Derek grumbled a reply but smiled as soon as he saw zip lock bag with his name on it in the draw, filled with cookies. Derek stealthily opened the bag and quickly ate a cookie so that the other wolves wouldn’t pick up on the delicious treat. In between bites Derek mouthed a thank you to Catherine who then erupted into giggles ‘you have something’ she pointed to a place on her face. Derek attempted to get the something off his face ‘no it’s more…’ Derek tried to follow ‘here let me’. Catherine giggled as she reached up and wiped her thumb over the chocolate stain on the corner of Derek’s mouth. Their eyes connected and Catherine’s hand froze, her fingers still touching his skin. Catherine felt a pull towards Derek, her heart was pounding in her chest and all she could think about was bridging the gap between them.


	12. Chapter 12

Recap: Their eyes connected and Catherine’s hand froze, her fingers still touching his skin. Catherine felt a pull towards Derek, her heart was pounding in her chest and all she could think about was bridging the gap between them. 

 

Derek was leaning in towards Catherine and they were very close to kissing when there was a cough behind them which instantly broke the spell and the two separated. Peter stood there with a smug expression on his face ‘I suppose we should talk about this alliance’ Derek cleared his throat ‘uh yeah, that’s a good idea’ Derek moved away to the dining table. Catherine nabbed 3 high ball glasses and a bottle of Hellyers Road Single Malt Whisky and then sat down at the head of the table. Peter and Derek took a seat at either side of Catherine as she poured them a glass each of the whisky. Peter smelled the whisky ‘interesting choice’ Catherine smiled ‘it’s from back home, from a place called Tasmania’ Derek took a sip of the whisky and let it roll over his taste buds ‘not bad’ Peter smirked as he too took a gulp of the delicious amber liquid. 

After discussing and hashing out the general conditions of the alliance, the three swapped contact details. The pack were told by Derek that it was time to leave and Catherine promised them that she would make them more cookies if they behaved for their alpha. As the pack was leaving, Peter arranged to come by Catherine’s great aunts house to take a look at the accounts. As Catherine said goodbye to Peter at the door Derek coughed gently to which Peter took as his queue to disappear.

‘Derek’ Catherine spoke softly as her heart sped up, Derek smirked at the sound. He took a step closer to her ‘Catherine’ he watched her as she stood there trying to figure something out. ‘Is it true what Cora said?’ Catherine finally asked ‘about what?’ Catherine took a step closer to Derek ‘are you an architect?’ Derek rose an eyebrow ‘I may have dabbled in some contracting why?’ Derek took another step towards Catherine. ‘Will you help me? I have the images and ideas I just don’t know how to put it on paper, I guess what I am really asking is can I employ you as my contractor?’ Catherine was looking at her hand nervously ‘I don’t know I’ll have to check my schedule’ Catherine bit her lip and looked up to find Derek impossibly close. Cora yelled down the corridor from the stairwell ‘Derek, there’s no toilet paper!’ Derek let out a short growl and Catherine giggled ‘I think you might need to go take care of that’ Derek glared at Catherine and then walked out the door taking note of the uptick in Catherine’s heart beat as he walked away.

Once Derek had disappeared down the corridor Catherine went back into her apartment and shut the door taking a moment to just breathe. Her mind was in overdrive at the near kiss she almost had with Derek not once but twice. The pull in her chest was becoming a bit harder to ignore when he was in the room.


	13. Chapter 13

Recap: Her mind was in overdrive at the near kiss she almost had with Derek not once but twice. The pull in her chest was becoming a bit harder to ignore when he was in the room. 

 

Derek lay in his bed listening to Catherine strumming on her guitar as he contemplated the pull he was feeling towards her. His wolfs urges were getting harder to control the more he was near her and he’s never had this much trouble reigning in the wolf since he mastered control in his teenage years, but there was something about her that awakened his wolf. Without really thinking he had typed a message into his phone and sent it.

[My schedule has an opening. I think I can fit you in. Derek]

Derek heard Catherine’s phone alert to the message being received, within moments he received a reply.

{How very kind of you Mr Hale. When prey tell will you be available?}

Derek smirked at Catherine’s sarcastic reply.

[Tomorrow at midday and maybe we could get some coffee afterwards]

Derek was hesitant but sent the message anyway.

{Coffee is a very bad idea, I mean have you heard of the energizer bunny? Let’s just say I’m like stiles with sugar only worse}

Derek felt deflated and was about to respond when another message came through.

{But I would prefer dinner with you instead}

A smirk grew on Derek’s face as he typed a response.

[Dinner on Friday, be ready at 7 pm]

{I look forward to it, good night Mr Hale}

Derek was pretty happy with himself as he put his phone back on the bedside table and lay back on his bed; now all he had to do was plan their date.

 

+++++++++++

 

Catherine was not honestly expecting Derek to be so forward so quickly after revealing who she really was to him but was thankful that he reached out to her and she was able to make her intentions clear. At least she hoped she was making her feelings clear. This pull was affecting her in more ways then she could ever know and having him also open to the possibility of something more than cordial friendship was easing her immensely. Now all she had to do was make it through the meeting with the lawyer and her Great aunt’s daughter Carole and then she could focus on her date with Derek.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

The next day, Catherine and Derek met at the local diner to have lunch and discus Catherine’s ideas for the Warehouse space. She had brought the pictures she had brought and some idea/theme boards that she had made.

As they spoke over lunch Catherine informed Derek of her plans for the Warehouse and explained how she wanted into be turned into a club and how she wanted it to look on the inside. He was quite impressed with the research she had already completed about refurbishing the warehouse into a club. She had already made a list of constraints and things that the Warehouse would need to be converted into a club.  
Derek was organising with Catherine a time for him to inspect the warehouse in order to get a feel for the space and to take measurements before he would draw up some plans, when he noticed Catherine immediately tense up. 

A red headed woman approached the table ‘Catherine’ the woman stated disapproved ‘uh Carole, what are you doing here?’ The red headed woman glared at Catherine ‘Mommy dearest passed away recently and so I am here to collect my inheritance’ Catherine visibly paled ‘Well Carole, I am sure we can discuss this further at the lawyers office this afternoon as you can see I am currently in the middle of something’ Carole scoffed ‘And what exactly are you doing with the riff raff my dear?’ Catherine placed her hand on Derek’s knee under the table feeling his wolf suddenly jump to the front of his mind. ‘Carole, this is Miguel, he is the sheriff’s nephew and we were discussing a possible job I have for his contracting businesses.’ Derek offered no comment and Carole swept a glance over him ‘yes well, I expect you to be at the lawyers office at 3 pm sharp’ Derek placed his hand on top of Catherine’s under the table ‘Yes Carole, I will see you at 3 pm.’ Carole seemed to be bored of the conversation and left the diner. 

Catherine physically slumped into her chair, Derek faced Catherine ‘How did you know about Miguel?’ Catherine turned her head and raised her eyebrows asking with her facial expression if he was seriously asking her that right now. ‘Stiles and I’m sorry, I just couldn’t tell her who you really are. Carole has always given me the heebie-jeebies and I just, I just don’t trust her ever since I was a kid, ever since…’ Catherine trailed off a faraway look on her face as if lost in a memory. She hadn’t realised that she had started to scratch her arm until Derek placed his hand over hers in a calming gesture ‘hey it’s ok.’ Catherine looked up to Derek ‘you and the pack need to be extra careful while she’s in town, I can’t help but feel like something bad is on its way.’


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To my daughter Carole,   
> I know what you did.

Recap: Catherine looked up to Derek ‘you and the pack need to be extra careful while she’s in town, I can’t help but feel like something bad is on its way.’

 

Catherine entered the lawyer’s office at 5 minutes to 3 to find that Carole was already in the office with Lionel. Steeling herself for the soon to be confrontation, she took a deep breath and steadied herself before entering the room. ‘Ah Miss Rosewood, I trust that you are well’ Catherine smiled at the old man ‘Yes, thank you Lionel, I hope you are doing well since the last time we spoke’ Lionel offered Catherine the chair next to Carole. Catherine took something from her bag ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I brought some cookies for you it seems that I made a few too many in my last batch’ Lionel chuckled ‘Oh how delightful, I remember your Great Aunt Elizabeth had the same problem’ Carole glared at Catherine.

‘Well hurry up Lionel and read the will, I want to know what mommy dearest left for me’ Lionel glanced at Catherine who simply nodded her head. Lionel was halfway through the will when Carole interrupted ‘I don’t care about what she wants t leave to the museum, I want to know what I get’ Lionel took a letter from his desk and handed it to Carole. Lionel quoted Elizabeth from her will “To my daughter Carole I bequeath this letter and $10,000 to be released in $500 lots for every year from the year of my death until the full $10,000 has been paid or until she too passes away. If my daughter contests the will she is to receive nothing as I have named Catherine Rosewood as my sole inheritor, the reason for this is in the letter for my daughter, for her eyes only. 

 

Carole was quite red faced at this stage, opening the letter she read the short message inside.

To my daughter Carole,   
I know what you did.

 

Carole looked to Catherine as if she was steaming from the ears; the silent rage was rolling off of her in waves making Catherine feel queasy. ‘This is preposterous, everyone knows how batty she was, she obviously didn’t write the will while she was of sound mind!’ Lionel gave a small cough ‘on the contrary, she named Catherine as her heir apparent on Catherine’s sixth birthday.’ Lionel produced the official documentation for both the human world and the supernatural world. ‘As you can see these documents were sighted by the Alpha of the Hale pack, Emissary Alan Deaton, Alpha Deucalion and here is a list of the others who were in attendance at the naming of the heir ceremony.’ Carole huffed loudly and ‘well then, I suppose congratulations are in order’ She then held out her hand for Catherine to shake. Catherine hesitantly shook Carole’s hand but got scratched by one of Carole’s rings as she let go of her hand.

Carole left a few moments later letting Catherine feel as though she could finally breathe again, Carole was the last family member to be informed of Great Aunt Elizabeth’s will. Catherine could finally be done with all the legalities and could now focus on her responsibilities as the Rosewood Scion. Catherine thanked Lionel for his services and made her way home. The last of the bottle of whisky was calling to her and who was she to deny it.

 

+++++++++++++++

 

Catherine made it to her apartment in no time and was relieved to have made it up the stairs to her hallway taking notice of an object in front of her door as she approached. Once at her door, she found that the object was a lovely bunch of flowers without a note or card. Picking the flowers up Catherine took a deep breath in, smelling the old English rose scent which was her favourite. Catherine entered the apartment and decided to place the roses into a vase; while she was rearranging them she cut her palm with a thorn. 

That night when Catherine went to bed, she tossed and turned in her sleep plagued by nightmares or at least she hoped that they were once she had woken up in a cold sweat.


	15. Chapter 15

Recap: That night when Catherine went to bed, she tossed and turned in her sleep plagued by nightmares or at least she hoped that they were once she had woken up in a cold sweat. 

 

Catherine dragged herself out of bed on Friday morning after having one of the worst sleeps ever. Today she was meeting with Peter to look at the books her Great Aunt Elizabeth left behind and not to mention she had a date to prepare for.

 

At 9 am Peter knocked at her door, Catherine invited him in as she finished grabbing her documents and Kindle Fire and phone from the side table. ‘What is that weird smell Catherine?’ Peter commented as he sniffed the air. ‘Oh that’s the flowers, aren’t they just gorgeous’ she said as she leaned into them and took another breath of their fragrance in. ‘Old English Roses are my favourite, they remind me of my childhood and spending time with my grandmother before she passed’. 

Peter turned to Catherine ‘I hope you don’t mind but I brought you a hot chocolate’ Catherine took the offered drink gratefully ‘Oh thank you, I didn’t have the best of nights and really need the sugar kick today’ Peter smirked ‘oh I know, I could hear you screaming in your sleep’ Catherine looked mortified, Peter placed his hand on her shoulder ‘If you ever need to talk to someone, you know you can always speak to one of us’. Catherine had unintentionally started to scratch her arm again as Peter spoke causing him to frown slightly at her. ‘Thanks Peter, you know you are not as bad as you like to think you are’ Peter chuckled ‘Shhh don’t tell anyone, I have reputation to keep you know.’

 

Catherine drove Peter to the house her Great Aunt used to live in; it was a large Victorian styled manor on the outskirts of the town in one of the secondary points of the pentagram. It had an ostentatious amount of rooms; a large kitchen, a parlor, a sitting room, a lounge room, a rather large library/study and several bathrooms and bedrooms on the upper level. There was also a basement and an attic not to mention the large grounds had a barn and stables and a groundskeepers cottage. All of this was hidden behind a very high fence and even higher hedges.  
Peter was impressed by the manor and followed Catherine as they entered through the intricate patterned foyer. ‘Please excuse the mess; I have not had a chance to sort any of my Great Aunts possessions yet’ Catherine as she led him though to the library/study/office area.

Peter took note of all the nick knacks and antiques around the manor ‘if you want some hep cleaning this place up, I am sure Derek wouldn’t mind ordering the betas around.’ Catherine turned to Peter ‘they are not slaves and I would not have Derek order them to do anything’ a mischievous glint flickered in her eyes ‘but… let’s say if I were to offer a good ole home cooked meal in exchange for services rendered they may come of their own free will’ Catherine clapped her hand together and bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly ‘Oooh yes, we can move all the heavy things, sweep and vacuum and then we can have a Barbecue for dinner… I wonder if this place has a Barbecue.’

Catherine gave Peter a hug, Peter not being accustomed to people willingly touching him; he just stood there unsure of how to proceed. Catherine let go of Peter a few moments later and then grabbed his hand and led him to the desk and chairs. The desk was covered in paperwork ‘here is the mountain of doom, I completely understand if you don’t want to do this now… It’s pretty horrible just to look at’ Peter opened a book and blew dust from its covers ‘when was the last time this was done?’ Catherine looked at Peter ‘I have no idea, Lionel made me believe that everything was up to date, but I think there were other accounts that Great Aunt Elizabeth may have hidden and then there were the companies that just stopped doing anything I mean, there are like 6 buildings in Beacon Hills standing empty and vacant, It’s like she just stopped doing anything remotely like handling the Rosewood estate which is really weird considering she was the one to expand it and make it grow’ Catherine trailed off as her gaze landed on an unfamiliar symbol on one of the books in the shelf.

 

Peter was busy looking through the paperwork trying to sort it into some sort of order before attempting to sort the books out. It wasn’t until he heard Catherine gasp in pain that he looked up, she had a book in one hand and the other was grasping her temple. Catherine began to sway on her feet and Peter was lucky enough to catch her before she lost her balance and fell over. He gently led her to the chair and tried to get a response from Catherine. ‘Catherine, what’s wrong?’ Catherine whimpered as Peter lifted her chin up to see her face more clearly. 

The moment his skin made contact with hers, he was pulled inside her vision. He joined Catherine against a wall in a dark room, a girl no older than 11 or 12 years old sat chained to a chair ‘what is this?’ Catherine turned to Peter ‘what are you doing here?’ before Peter could answer the door to the room opened and a hooded figure wearing the same symbol form the book came in and started torturing the girl the girl cried out asking why they were doing this only to be back handed by the hooded figure ‘you have taken something from our mistress and she wants it back’ the girl bargained for her life just wanting to go home ‘you won’t ever see your family again once we are done with you girl, now say the spell or would you prefer more torture?’ the girl refused and the hooded figure drew a blade over her skin. The vision came to an end; Peter opened his eyes to find Catherine slumped forward against him, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder tears streaming down her face silently.

 

Peter let her cling to him as she let the tears out ‘I’m so sorry that you had to see that Peter, I normally have a handle on my powers’ Peter wiped some tears from her cheek ‘is it always like that?’ Catherine shook her head ‘no not always sometimes they are good and sometimes they are so bad that I can’t stomach things for days. I am also very sorry about ruining your shirt’ Peter looked at his shoulder ‘I’m sure one of your apple pies could make me forget about it’ Catherine scoffed and nudged Peter ‘I knew it, you only like me for the food I make’ Peter chuckled.

 

Suddenly they heard a voice in the hall way ‘First Miguel and now another male and in my late mothers home no less, my my Catherine very loose aren’t we, what would the town think?’ Catherine tensed and fear flashed through her eyes as she separated herself from Peter. ‘Carole, what are you doing here?’ Carole huffed ‘I still have a key as I used to live here, I had some things to collect’ Peter’s wolf was on edge from the vibes he was getting from Carole and feeling how uneasy Catherine was around the woman. ‘Carole I do believe it is best that you schedule a time to come and pick up your things, I am also going to need your keys as I will be getting some work done to the house and my contractor will need them.’ Carole scoffed ‘you can’t kick me out of my own home girl’ Peter crossed his arms over his chest ‘it’s not a matter of kicking you out of your home it simply does not belong to you anymore. If you require certain items please email me a list and an address that I can send them to, or do what a normal person does and call before showing up as if you were going to sneak in and about to steal all the silver before anyone noticed.’

Carole was extremely red faced at Peter’s comment ‘well I never, you are a very rude man’ Peter sneered ‘and you are an unwelcome house guest’ Carole turned around and started to make her way out of the house ‘thanks for stopping by Carole and remember to call next time’ Catherine waived as she left. Once she was out of sight Peter stilled Catherine’s hand, she had been scratching at the same spot she had the other day. An alarm went off on her phone and her eyes widened ‘OMG, I have a date tonight, I need to get back to the apartment and get ready.’ 

 

Peter chuckled at Catherine ‘what, I haven’t been on a date in forever and I feel this pull towards him… it’s so strange’ Catherine shook herself out of her thoughts and looked up at Peter ‘Come on Hale lets go home, we can work on this on Monday I feel like it is going to be a busy weekend’


	16. What is a sloppy Joe and why is he sloppy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaning their foreheads together Derek looked into her eyes ‘Do you want to come back to my place for coffee?’ Derek smirked ‘thought you’d never ask’.

Recap: Peter chuckled at Catherine ‘what, I haven’t been on a date in forever and I feel this pull towards him… it’s so strange’ Catherine shook herself out of her thoughts and looked up at Peter ‘Come on Hale lets go home, we can work on this on Monday I feel like it is going to be a busy weekend’

 

Catherine rushed home and quickly jumped in the shower she only had two hours to figure out an outfit get ready and try to keep calm. Once she was out of the shower she stood in front of her wardrobe for 10 minutes before messaging Cora for help, a few moments later Cora was at the door. Catherine led her to the wardrobe were she proceeded to flick through the clothes on the rack. ‘Wow lots of blue purple and black and silver’ Catherine sat on her bed with a huff ‘they are the best colours that go on me’ Cora snorted ‘wait until Lydia gets to take you shopping’ Catherine tilted her head to the side ‘the banshee?’ Cora nodded in response ‘she is the resident stylist for the pack, well she tries to be I mean it’s not like Derek will really let her change his clothes’. 

Cora chose black boots, knee length black skirt with a cute off the shoulder navy blue top and a thin black cardigan with minimal accessories. Cora made Catherine get dressed and then show her the outfit, pleased with her choice she gave her approval ‘perfect, sweet and simple, Derek will love it’ Catherine examined herself in the mirror ‘are you sure?’ Cora squeezed her shoulder ‘positive’ Catherine smiled in response. 

 

*******

Derek was in a slight panic, he had 30 minutes to get ready and he couldn’t figure out what he should wear. Isaac could smell the anxiety rolling off his alpha and decided to do something about it. Carrying his laptop into Derek’s room he set it up on the dresser ‘Derek, Lydia is on Skype to help you’ Derek glared at Isaac ‘I don’t need any help’ Lydia could be heard from the laptop ‘I beg to differ Derek; you clearly need help with your wardrobe with all that black you wear.’ Isaac began taking clothes out of Derek’s wardrobe and holding them up for her inspection ‘no, no, no, so tell me about this mystery woman’ Isaac held up another item ‘she lives in the apartment below us and she cooks’ Lydia had vetoed half of Derek’s wardrobe ‘What does she look like? Give me the gory details Isaac’ Derek was trying on one of Lydia’s choices ‘she has long blue hair’ Lydia’s eyes bugged out of her head ‘blue?’ Derek rolled his eyes and stood in front of the laptop ‘that’s it and your leather jacket, now Derek don’t forget to be a gentleman and if she gets cold to always offer your jacket and open the door for her’ Derek glared at Lydia through the laptop before leaving the room ‘So Isaac, who is she really?’ Isaac peered past the laptop making sure the coast was clear ‘here’s a link to her profile’ he sent the link through the Skype chat and waited for Lydia to see the profile. Lydia was very silent as she read through the profile ‘OMG Isaac, if I am right, do you know who this is?’ Isaac shrugged ‘Isaac, she is like supernatural royalty, the Rosewood Coven are one of the oldest known covens’ Lydia trailed off with a faraway look before snapping out of it ‘Isaac I’ve got to go, see you soon’.

 

**********

 

Derek stood in front of Catherine’s door, slightly nervous running his hand through his hair before knocking on the door. A few moments went by when Cora opened the door, Cora looked over her shoulder ‘don’t mess this up big brother’ she then opened the door the whole way ‘Catherine, Derek is here’. Catherine rushed down the hall way grabbing her phone and purse and keys ‘Thanks Cor, there is food in the fridge for you guys and some pie in the freezer’. Cora’s eyes lit up and Catherine chuckled as she was unceremoniously pushed out the door ‘go have fun, don’t be home by midnight’ Cora winked as she closed the door behind them.

Derek took a moment to glance over Catherine, secretly thankful that she wasn’t a girly girl and dressed with some practicality and sense. It gave him a better read on her personality and he was looking forward to getting to know her better. Catherine ran her eyes along Derek’s figure enjoying the effort that he put in for their date, she was very thankful that his black jeans were slightly tighter than his usual denim especially as he walked in front and led the way to the car. ‘So what have you got planned Derek?’ Catherine asked as they made their way down to the garage ‘You will just have to find out’ Derek spoke gruffly sending chills down Catherine’s spine. 

The lights on the Camaro lit up as they entered the garage Catherine stopped dead in her tracks as Derek opened the door to the car ‘No way… is this your car?’ Derek smirked ‘can I touch it… I mean can I play with it... I mean can I see what’s under the hood’ Catherine slapped her hand to her forehead in embarrassment. Derek chuckled ‘so you want to get under my hood?’ Catherine answered without a thought ‘yes, I’d do anything to get a look under the hood’ Derek laughed loudly ‘What I mean is I would love to get a look under the hood of your car…’ Derek tried to contain his laughter but it rumbled in his chest causing Catherine to blush.

Catherine moved to the car and got in as Derek closed the door for her. He stiffened slightly as he smelt her slight arousal when he turned the car on letting it purr to life ‘should I be worried about you and my car?’ Catherine turned to Derek ‘until I learn how to drive American stick I think you should be fine, but just to be sure, maybe you should supervise play dates’ Catherine winked at Derek. They pulled into the parking lot of the Beacon Hills Grill, Derek was the perfect Gentleman and opened doors for Catherine. The waitress led them to the romantic lighting section of the restaurant and took their drink orders while they decided on their mains. 

‘So… what do you suggest?’ Derek looked at the menu ‘It’s pretty much all good’ Catherine glanced at the menu before putting it down and seriously looking at Derek ‘What exactly is a sloppy Joe and why is he sloppy?’ Derek grinned at Catherine ‘before you answer, remember I am from Australia, we may eat our national emblem but we don’t eat “sloppy Joe” Catherine’s lips twitched into a smile at the end of her sentence. Derek explained that it was spiced mince in sauce on a bun ‘so it’s the lazy mans version of bolognaise or a very bad spaghetti taco?’ Derek raised an eyebrow ‘I went through an iCarly phase, Sam was my hero for a while’

Derek ended up ordering a range of entrée sized dishes of American cooking to expand Catherine’s foray into American culture. They were enjoying the meal with Derek giving small explanations as to what each dish was, he didn’t mind sharing the meal with her and learning about her. For example, when she found a dish she really liked on the second bite her eyes would close briefly as she savoured the taste. Catherine had just taken a bite of a mozzarella stick not realising some sauce dribbled down her chin Derek reached over and thumbed the sauce of her chin causing Catherine’s breath to catch. She let out a breathy ‘Derek’ as their eyes connected, the air between them changing drastically. Derek picked up on Catherine’s spiked heart rate and the dilation of her pupils ‘We should get out of here’ Catherine didn’t trust herself to speak and nodded her head in response. 

Derek paid the tab and then guided Catherine out of the restaurant, as Catherine was about to get into the car Derek stopped her. He gently turned her face to his and their lips met gently; as he began to pull away Catherine grabbed his shoulder and pulled him closer as she kissed him. Derek deepened the kiss, his hand cupping the back of her head as he moved slightly forward making Catherine’s back connect with the car causing her to gasp and allow his tongue entrance. Catherine moaned into Derek’s mouth as they battled for dominance until Derek broke the kiss so that they could both take a breath. Leaning their foreheads together Derek looked into her eyes ‘Do you want to come back to my place for coffee?’ Derek smirked ‘thought you’d never ask’. 

As they drove to the apartment Derek took Catherine’s hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles and Catherine squeezed his hand in response. They made it back to the apartment in record time; their journey up the stairs was intermittently interrupted with stolen kisses. Derek gently sucked on the pulse point of her neck as she tried to open the door to her apartment making her fumble with the keys in the lock. Once inside Catherine helped Derek out of his jacket and Derek pushed Catherine against the closed door eliciting a gasp as she stared into his eyes. Derek pressed his lips to hers and helped her out of her cardigan and taking advantage of the off the shoulder top by nuzzling her soft skin. Catherine dipped her hands into Derek’s jean pockets and squeezing his nicely shaped ass making him groan at the feeling. Catherine smirked as she ran her hand under his shirt feeling his muscles flex against her digits.

Derek’s hands traveled down to her hips and lifted them, Catherine caught on and wrapped her legs around Derek’s waist as he ground his pelvis against hers. Catherine let out a sinful moan. ‘You two better not be making me an auntie right now’ Cora called out from the apartment above. Derek growled and nestled his head in the crook of Catherine’s neck ‘I am going to kill her’ Catherine giggled as her chest heaved against Derek’s. Catherine unwrapped herself from Derek ‘you can’t kill your sister, but you can torture her’ Derek groaned as he took a step back, his hands still on Catherine’s hips ‘rain check?’ Catherine cupped Derek’s face ‘definitely Alpha Hale’ Derek let a low growl rumble through his chest at Catherine’s use of his title. He kissed her one last time before leaving to go and kill Cora.

Catherine watched Derek saunter down the hallway, fully aware that Derek could sense her arousal as hips swayed out of sight.


End file.
